Darren Dreger said Wednesday that teams have been calling Kent Hughes about Canadiens goalie Samuel Montembeault, but the market isn't strong yet.
That's a notable twist for a goalie whose name has been floating around Montreal for weeks. Interest exists. A buyer willing to pay, apparently, does not, at least not yet.
Dreger told it plainly. He knows Hughes has talked with clubs that inquired on the 30-year-old, and he said the calls have been coming in for "the last few weeks." He couldn't say if any were recent.
"So I think there is interest in Montembeault. In fact, I know there is. But I don't know that the market is that strong just yet," Dreger said.
We already looked at the first wave of this story, when Hughes took calls on Montembeault and the rumors started to build. Dreger's latest comment adds the missing piece: nobody has stepped up with a serious offer.
Louis Jean reported in August that Hughes turned down proposals over the summer because they fell short of his expectations. Put the two together and the picture is a GM who isn't in a hurry, with a market that isn't pushing him to be.
Why can the Canadiens afford to wait on Montembeault?
Because the crease is no longer his. Jacob Fowler has played 11 games this season and Jakub Dobes has played 7, while Montembeault has appeared in just 2.
He is also listed on injured reserve with a lower-body injury, expected out until at least Nov. 12 according to the latest injury report. Any suitor will want to see him back on the ice before talking real assets.
Money matters here too. Montembeault carries a cap hit of just over $3 million and is headed for unrestricted free agency, so the Canadiens are selling a contract that expires this season.
Hughes shouldn't take a discount. Montreal sits 7th in the NHL at 11-3-4, and the goaltending behind him is younger and cheaper. Waiting costs the Canadiens nothing.
Dreger has also noted before that Hughes could look for a forward in return, which makes a deal harder than a simple goalie-for-pick swap.
Goalie markets can turn quickly. One injury or a long slump somewhere else could change the calls from casual to urgent.
The Canadiens, who lost 2-1 in overtime to Minnesota on Tuesday, are in Boston tonight.
This article was written with the help of artificial intelligence, based on public reports and official sources.
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